AIM:To investigate the inhibition of breviscapine on apoptosis of cultured myocardial cell of neonatal rat induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation. METHODS:Myocardial cell hypoxia/reoxygenation model was established by culturing primary myocardial cells of neonatal rats in vitro. Cultured myocardial cells were divided into 5 groups:control group,hypoxia/reoxygenation group and 3 groups pretreated with breviscapine of final concentration 25,50 and 100 mg/L,respectively. The cell viability was measured with MTT; apoptotic rates were determined by AnnexinV-FITC/PI; the expression of Bcl-2 was detected by immunohistochemical method. Expressions of Cytochrome C (CytC) and Caspase-3 were detected by Western blot. RESULTS:Compared with the control group,the viability of myocardial cell decreased and apoptosis rate elevated after hypoxia/reoxygenation. However after pretreatment with 25,50 and 100 mg/L breviscapine,respectively. Cell viabilities increased and apoptotic rates lowered,and the protective effect on myocardial cell had concentration-dependent. In addition,Expression of Bcl-2 decreased but Caspase-3 activity and CytC release increased in myocardial cells induced hypoxia/reoxygenation. Pretreated with breviscapine,expression of Bcl-2 elevated but Caspase-3 activity and CytC release reduced obviously. CONCLUSION:It is associated with the increase in Bcl-2 expression,inhibition of CytC release and Casepase-3 activity that breviscapine could significantly protect myocardial cell against apoptosis induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation.

Emerging evidence has indicated that BRCC 36-mediated K63-linked ubiquitination modification was involved in diverse cellular functions , including endocytosis , apoptosis and DNA damage repair .We previously showed that activation of cGMP/PKG pathway con-tributed to the binding of BRCC36 and the pro-fibrotic factor Smad3.The current study tested the hypothesis that BRCC 36 functions as a negative regulator of transforming growth factor-beta ( TGF-β)/Smad3 pathway and participates in cardiac remodeling .In isolated adult mouse cardiac fibroblasts , we have demonstrated that TGF-β1 treatment significantly increased the expression of BRCC 36.Over-expression BRCC36 suppressed TGF-β1-induced Smad3 phosphorylation, nuclear translocation, extracellular matrix molecular expres-sion and cell proliferation .On the contrary, silencing BRCC36 by transfection of adenovirus-carrying BRCC36 shRNA potentiated to
enhance the pro-fibrotic effect of TGF-β.In vivo, under chronic pressure overload condition-induced by transverse aortic constriction , myocardial pro-survival protein Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 expression were significantly decreased and the pro-apoptosis protein Puma was in-creased.However, the cardiac-specific over-expression of BRCC36 significantly increased myocardial Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 and inhibited Puma expression .Interestingly , we also found that sustained pressure overload resulted in a significant myocardial DNA injury in wild type mice, which was characterized by the increase of γH2AX level.However, cardiac-specific BRCC36 over-expression significantly decreased the level of γH2AX in the pressure overloaded heart in the transgenic mice , while effectively enhanced myocardial RAD 51 expression, a marker of DNA damage repair.Furthermore, BRCC36 over-expression effectively attenuated TAC-induced cardiac fibro-sis and remodeling in the transgenic mice , compared with the wild type mice .Collectively , the results have suggested that BRCC 36 ef-fectively protected heart against chronic pressure overload-induced cardiac remodeling though antagonizing TGF-β/Smad3 pathway and enhancing myocardial DNA injury repair response .

Objective:To study the diagnostic value of the artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostic system, ACR TI-RADS classification and AI+ ACR TI-RADS combined diagnostic performance in benign and malignant thyroid nodules and its guiding significance for surgical treatment.Methods:From Nov. 1, 2021, to Feb. 26, 2022, 349 patients with 605 thyroid nodules who received surgical treatment in Department of Thyroid (Hernia) Surgery, Department of General Surgery, the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital, were selected. There were 95 males and 254 females, male: female=1:2.67, aged 16-78 years, and the nodule diameter was 0.2-5.6 cm. SPSS 26.0 and R studio software were used for data processing. AI diagnostic system, ACR TI-RADS grading and AI+ ACR TI-RADS combined diagnostic efficacy were statistically analyzed, respectively. ROC curve analysis was performed in parallel.Results:The AUC value of AI+ ACR TI-RADS combined diagnosis was 0.900, greater than 0.857 of AI diagnostic system and 0.788 of ACR TI-RADS, and the difference was statistically significant ( Z= 7.631, both P<0.001) . The sensitivity of the combined diagnosis was 95.32%, the specificity was 84.61%, the accuracy was 92.56%, the positive predictive value was 94.69%, the negative predictive value was 86.27%, the missed diagnosis rate was 4.68%, and the misdiagnosis rate was 15.38%, which were better than the other two diagnostic methods. With an excellent coincidence rate with postoperative pathological results ( Kappa=0.804, P<0.001) . The accuracy of combined diagnosis in identifying the maximum diameter of different tumors was 89.58% for d≤0.5 cm, 96.09% for 0.54.0 cm, better than the other two diagnostic methods. Conclusions:The combined application of AI+ACR TI-RADS has a certain primary screening value in evaluating thyroid nodule properties. The combined diagnosis of the two can more effectively determine the benign and malignant thyroid nodules.

Objective To investigate the clinical and gene mutation features of sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) deficiency. Methods A total of 10 children, aged < 18 years, who were diagnosed with NTCP deficiency in Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center from June 2020 to June 2021 were enrolled, and related data were analyzed, including general information (sex, age, body height, body weight, family history, and past history), clinical manifestation, disease outcome, laboratory examination (routine blood test, liver function, hepatotropic virus, and autoimmune hepatitis screening), and gene mutation. Results All 10 children had normal growth and development, among whom there were 8 boys and 2 girls, with an age of 3-37 months at the time of diagnosis. The etiology of children attending the hospital for the first time was prolonged jaundice (5/10, 50%), elevation of aminotransferases (2/10, 20%), abnormal physical examination results (2/10, 20%), and pneumonia (1/10, 10%). At the time of diagnosis, all children had a significant increase in serum total bile acid (TBA), 2 children had increases in alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, and 1 child had an increase in total bilirubin (TBil), mainly direct bilirubin (DBil) (DBil/TBil ratio > 50%). Second-generation gene sequencing showed that all 10 children had a homozygous mutation of the SLC10A1 gene, i.e., c.800C > T(p.Ser267Phe, chr14∶70245193). Conclusion Although NTCP deficiency often has no symptoms, some of the children may manifest as infant cholestasis in the early stage. The possibility of NTCP deficiency should be considered when there is persistent hypercholanemia and the changing trend of serum TBA is not consistent with that of other liver function parameters.